The State of the Consumer 2026, human–AI collaboration, and more

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Monthly Highlights, July 2026

Consumer expectations are shifting faster than ever, reshaping how people shop and what they value. In our featured story, Anna Pione, Danielle Bozarth, Clarisse Magnin, Jessica Moulton, and Kari Alldredge explore the four global trends that will define the consumer landscape in the years ahead: the new tech-driven path to purchase, the health revolution, the experience economy, and the rise of the resourceful consumer.

Other highlights include the following topics:

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a playbook for developing geopolitical foresight

•

a new organizational model built around human–AI collaboration

•

what CEOs can do to prepare for the role

•

the future of robotics

Editor’s choice

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State of the Consumer 2026: When tech acceleration and cost pressures collide

The consumer is changing fast. Four trends—the tech-driven path to purchase, the health revolution, the experience economy, and the resourceful consumer—will redefine the sector. Will brands keep up?

4 global trends

THIS MONTH’s HIGHLIGHTS

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The art, science, and technology of geopolitical scenario planning

Strategic foresight is not about predicting the future but setting strategy and building capabilities to navigate multiple potential futures. Here’s how to select and apply five instruments of foresight.
5 instruments of foresight

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The symbiotic enterprise

Advances in cognitive and physical AI are reinventing enterprise execution—ushering in a new organizational model built around human–AI collaboration.
4 conditions for success

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What it takes to become—and remain—an effective CEO

Between the first 90 days and the last, here’s how leaders can successfully manage people, products, processes, and themselves.
Lead with impact

The future of robotics: Intelligent, adaptable, and on your team

Robots are starting to move beyond factories and warehouses into varied, everyday settings. As more companies begin to adopt general-purpose robots, the challenge becomes less about what the technology can do and more about figuring out how people and machines can work together. In this edition of The Next Normal, we take a closer look at where robots are already gaining ground and how the broader landscape could unfold.
Read more

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From anxiety to advantage: A marketing organization that thrives with AI

Marketers are using AI, but surface-level enthusiasm is masking the anxiety, indecision, and operating-model gaps holding back meaningful change.
Build an AI-ready marketing organization

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What matters most to investors in 2026 and what it means for companies

Even before the Middle East conflict began, geopolitics surged as the foremost investor concern. AI disruption and capital allocation discipline are also top of mind.
See what matters

ALSO New

How KPN is building an agentic AI engine for customer care

Brilliant Moves: Coffee with FairPrice Group’s Vipul Chawla

HR Monitor 2026: A turning point for the people function

When AI becomes part of the workflow: Redesigning how software gets built

Private credit in 2025: A maturing industry navigates change

Collective action, collective success: A CEO’s role in transformations

Rewiring Talent to Value in the age of AI

What could rising fuel costs mean for airlines?

AI data readiness: The key to scaling impact

In an AI-driven world, the fastest learner will win: An interview with McKinsey’s Sven Smit

The State of Luxury: What US and Chinese clients reveal about the sector’s future

What corporate leaders can learn from start-up founders

The State of Grocery North America 2026

The seven operating truths of AI-native companies

OUt now

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What to read next: McKinsey’s 2026 curated book recommendations

McKinsey Global Publishing’s annual reading list is back, featuring compelling recommendations from a diverse group of leaders across the world. Our contributors have nearly 100 books for you to choose from.

Browse the collection

Special features

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McKinsey Explainers

Find direct answers to complex questions, backed by McKinsey’s expert insights.
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McKinsey Themes

Browse our essential reading on the topics that matter.
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McKinsey on Lives & Legacies

Monthly obituaries from business and society, highlighting the lasting legacies of executives and leaders from around the globe.
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Mind the Gap

Curated reads on Gen Z in the workplace.
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McKinsey Classics

Too many boards just review and approve strategy. Three questions can help them—and executives—begin to do better. Read our 2013 classic “Tapping the strategic potential of boards” to learn more.
Rewind

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What the headlines mean for leaders.
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—Edited by Joyce Yoo, editor, New York

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